I am learning

Well you didn't have that in your first post Anyway I dont send mine to school until they make me.. Next year I'll have all of them in school Why dont you ask the teacher to send a nicely worded letter home saying that they shouldn't come to school if they are sick?

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Sorry about that I just edited my first so people know I am talking about preschool.

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In my first post I was not talking about the parents of older kids who would get jail time I was talking about those should I say under four who don't have to go to school yet in other words the parent could keep her kid out for 3 weeks and the only call she would get is from the teacher to make sure she was okay not because she was in trouble

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I was beginning to wonder when you or someone would catch that. Everyone is going off on the law and how kids have to be in school, YOu very plainly stated that you were talking about pre school age kids. Ah, I see now that you edited it. that explains everyones response.

If I kept them home for coughing or runny noses, they'd never be in school. Now, if they are really hacking and sneezing snot I keep them home. If they have a fever, I keep them home at least 24 hours after their fever breaks. If they are vomiting I keep them home at least 48 hours after the last episode. I work at the kids' school from time to time and I'm always wiping noses. I figure it's just one of those things.

i'd LOVE to keep the kids home every time they get a sniffle but with 4 of them they wouldn't be in school much and I'd be in jail. I can't run them to the dr for every sniffle to get a dr's note because he wont see them for just a cold.. Throwing up? sure they stay home but just feeling icky sorry here's some advil, ya gotta go Last year my middle two caught swine flu (the rest of us managed not to get it? and we can not live virus vax in my house) My son was out of school for 10 days even with a dr's note I was worried I'd be hauled into court for that..

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I'm not talking about kids with sniffles. Just about every kid in my school has a stuffy/runny nose, throat clearing cough, sinus headaches and after-lunch stomach aches. Let me make myself plain--they are NOT going to be sent home. Sure, the TEACHERS want me to send them home--one tried to get me to threaten a parent because the child had a cough and a temp of 99.5. I'm NOT going to strong-arm a parent over something piddly. But when the kid is vomiting, has a legitimate fever, or is wheezing like a freight train and I KNOW the parent knew about it, yeah, it makes me very mad.

And don't get me started on the excuses parents give me...
"I've got Bible Study this morning",
"I work night shift, can't you just let her lay down there?"
"I just had a baby, I don't want the baby to get sick"
"You'll have to call my husband--he thinks she's faking it(illness)"

Trust me, my job is to KEEP kids in school. When I call a parent to pick up, it's because i have used all my 35yrs experience of pediatric nursing to determine that it is no longer safe for him to be at school. Please, don't make me have to escalate this call...

I'm not talking about kids with sniffles. Just about every kid in my school has a stuffy/runny nose, throat clearing cough, sinus headaches and after-lunch stomach aches. Let me make myself plain--they are NOT going to be sent home. Sure, the TEACHERS want me to send them home--one tried to get me to threaten a parent because the child had a cough and a temp of 99.5. I'm NOT going to strong-arm a parent over something piddly. But when the kid is vomiting, has a legitimate fever, or is wheezing like a freight train and I KNOW the parent knew about it, yeah, it makes me very mad.

And don't get me started on the excuses parents give me...
"I've got Bible Study this morning",
"I work night shift, can't you just let her lay down there?"
"I just had a baby, I don't want the baby to get sick"
"You'll have to call my husband--he thinks she's faking it(illness)"

Trust me, my job is to KEEP kids in school. When I call a parent to pick up, it's because i have used all my 35yrs experience of pediatric nursing to determine that it is no longer safe for him to be at school. Please, don't make me have to escalate this call...

Sorry OP, vent away! I was a single mom for 10 years, a working mom and a SAHM. I have four kids. If they were really sick, even a really bad cold (without fever), they stayed home. I used my sick days for them. If they had a fever, they stayed home until fever free for 24 hours, if it was strep, they were on the anti-biotics for 24 hours too until they went back to school.

Sorry OP, vent away! I was a single mom for 10 years, a working mom and a SAHM. I have four kids. If they were really sick, even a really bad cold (without fever), they stayed home. I used my sick days for them. If they had a fever, they stayed home until fever free for 24 hours, if it was strep, they were on the anti-biotics for 24 hours too until they went back to school.

I wish adults at work would stay home when they are sick!!

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You can't have it both ways. You say that you use your sick days for the kids, but you want adults to stay home when they are sick. So what do you do when you're sick?

Just curious, I haven't had kids in school for years. What happens if your child has something really bad that goes longer for ten days. Does the law not take things into consideration?

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Were I live they talk about homebond or homeschooling depending on the performance and what is going on my my has a lot of friends in the system that is how I know and that is how I got interested in what I do

Well, if I were in that situation and I was paying to have my kids go to preschool, I sure wouldn't stop sending them because they have sniffle. A fever, vomiting or diarrhea are the only reasons I would keep a kid out. I have 4 kids also. Someone has something around here almost all the time, be it allergies and its side effects or a virus.

Well, if I were in that situation and I was paying to have my kids go to preschool, I sure wouldn't stop sending them because they have sniffle. A fever, vomiting or diarrhea are the only reasons I would keep a kid out. I have 4 kids also. Someone has something around here almost all the time, be it allergies and its side effects or a virus.

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This is part of the school system there for free this gives them the head start they need so they are ready for kindergarten our main goal is to get them to talk

My pet peeve is parents who send sick kids to school. It is the most selfish, inconsiderate thing to do. Not only is it unfair to all the kids who will be exposed to the germs, but it's just wrong to do to your own poor kid who is forced to go to school while feeling crummy.

I do get doctors notes to back my kids' absences up when it's needed but not every illness needs a doctor visit. If my child is sick and needs to stay home, they are staying home. Period. I don't let some school board threat stop me. My kids, my decision.

I guess you could say another pet peeve of mine is school districts that act like they own your kids. There is a huge difference between a parent who keeps a kid home for being sick, or for family matters, and a parent who is negligent. "Zero tolerance" and "one-size-fits-all" rules drive me crazy.

Just curious, I haven't had kids in school for years. What happens if your child has something really bad that goes longer for ten days. Does the law not take things into consideration?

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I think after a few weeks out they pull them out of reg school and send a tutor.. but if they are that sick what's the point? I'm pretty sure my dd will have to have another heart surgery in the future.. I do wonder what they'll do about it...

for those who keep them home for every illness how long do you let them home? I've been sick with a cold now for almost 2 weeks.. I just feel crummy.. would you let your kids home that whole time? One year my dd12 had pneumonia and had a cough for months there was nothing I or the dr's could do about it.. every few days I'd get a call from the nurse to come her get she was sick.. she wasn't sick.. the best part was when I got a letter saying she'd missed too many days and if she missed anymore school time I'd be sent to "court" and all that happy stuff.. Here they are calling me to come her get and keep her home but at the same time dont keep her home she's missed too much time..

I think after a few weeks out they pull them out of reg school and send a tutor.. but if they are that sick what's the point? I'm pretty sure my dd will have to have another heart surgery in the future.. I do wonder what they'll do about it...

for those who keep them home for every illness how long do you let them home? I've been sick with a cold now for almost 2 weeks.. I just feel crummy.. would you let your kids home that whole time? One year my dd12 had pneumonia and had a cough for months there was nothing I or the dr's could do about it.. every few days I'd get a call from the nurse to come her get she was sick.. she wasn't sick.. the best part was when I got a letter saying she'd missed too many days and if she missed anymore school time I'd be sent to "court" and all that happy stuff.. Here they are calling me to come her get and keep her home but at the same time dont keep her home she's missed too much time..

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It depends on your district most likely. DD was out for a large portion of the second semester in 6th grade due to mono. The dr. just gave us an excuse that stated what she had and that she would most likely be absent a large number of days between X (date) and Y (date). The teachers helped her make up the important stuff (there were assignments that they felt could just be left off) and she passed with A's and B's.

A lot of those letters are threats more than anything else.

Now--we DID have to go to truancy court at the end of last year. Since having mono, dd has caught every virus that has come down the pike. On top of that she got hit in the mouth in softball and was out a couple of days in severe pain, her allergies were horrible last year AND her braces gave her fits every time they tightened them (migranes). So, again she missed a lot. But, we found out that too many days were marked unexcused that should have been excused. So, with notes from the dr., the ortho and the softball coach--everything turned out fine and again she passed with A's and B's.

As to your question, its hard with dd. I can't go with the no fever thing because she rarely runs fever. I usually let her stay a day, in the bed and then re-evaluate the next day.

Now--back on topic: OP, I know just how you feel! When we had the child care center, I would get so frustrated with the kids coming in sick. Especially if it was sahm's who sent their kids for preschool not child care.

Can your school not have a policy that requires them to be kept at home unless "fever free for 24 hours" and/or "no thick runny nose"--those were our policies for colds and such. (course, like I said, the fever thing didn't help much with my own child)

Well, if I were in that situation and I was paying to have my kids go to preschool, I sure wouldn't stop sending them because they have sniffle. A fever, vomiting or diarrhea are the only reasons I would keep a kid out. I have 4 kids also. Someone has something around here almost all the time, be it allergies and its side effects or a virus.

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My kids were always sick in preschool. Between the germs at school, and the germs being brought home by other siblings, it was a huge bugger-fest. Now, I never sent my kids to school with fevers, stomach bugs, bad coughs, or if they were uncomfortable. However, runny noses were the norm, October - May. I'm still getting over a cold that started more than a week ago.

I think after a few weeks out they pull them out of reg school and send a tutor.. but if they are that sick what's the point? I'm pretty sure my dd will have to have another heart surgery in the future.. I do wonder what they'll do about it...

for those who keep them home for every illness how long do you let them home? I've been sick with a cold now for almost 2 weeks.. I just feel crummy.. would you let your kids home that whole time? One year my dd12 had pneumonia and had a cough for months there was nothing I or the dr's could do about it.. every few days I'd get a call from the nurse to come her get she was sick.. she wasn't sick.. the best part was when I got a letter saying she'd missed too many days and if she missed anymore school time I'd be sent to "court" and all that happy stuff.. Here they are calling me to come her get and keep her home but at the same time dont keep her home she's missed too much time..

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I might not let them stay home the entire duration of the cold, but if they felt that miserable, I would be medicating their symptoms with OTC drugs to alleviate their misery. And if the OTC meds weren't sufficient, I would certainly see the doctor for something stronger.

To address the OP, my first jobs were in child care centers that were daycares/preschools. The centers all had policies, as do every school my kids have ever attended, that outline when sick children can return. Fever and vomit free for 24 hours, and no unexplained rashes. Parents would bring the kids in anyway, just as some parents of school-age kids. I vividly remember the director of one center calling CPS on a parent who repeatedly left her sick kids at daycare for about 2 weeks straight. I always loved her children, but I felt a disdain for her. Those poor babies....

On a more general note of sending sick kiddos to school, I had to send two students home this week because they were very ill. They are cousins who live in the same house, along with 7 other children (5 of whom were already home sick with high fevers and pretty nasty sounding coughs). Something tells me they had a clue these remaining two children were sick.

I do not advocate keeping kids out for every single sniffle, but for the love of pete, at least treat their symptoms if you're going to send them. Call the doc and arrange the necessary paperwork for them to receive the subsequent doses of medication at school. And if they have fever, keep their sick tooshies at home.

I think after a few weeks out they pull them out of reg school and send a tutor.. but if they are that sick what's the point? I'm pretty sure my dd will have to have another heart surgery in the future.. I do wonder what they'll do about it...

for those who keep them home for every illness how long do you let them home? I've been sick with a cold now for almost 2 weeks.. I just feel crummy.. would you let your kids home that whole time? One year my dd12 had pneumonia and had a cough for months there was nothing I or the dr's could do about it.. every few days I'd get a call from the nurse to come her get she was sick.. she wasn't sick.. the best part was when I got a letter saying she'd missed too many days and if she missed anymore school time I'd be sent to "court" and all that happy stuff.. Here they are calling me to come her get and keep her home but at the same time dont keep her home she's missed too much time..

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I wouldn't send my child to school with pneumonia. I just wouldn't want them to get sicker. If the absence was for an extended time I would request home tutoring, homeschool during that time, or work with the teachers to complete missed work at home. I had very bad pneumonia as a child. I was out for a very long time. I felt horrible. I had home tutoring. I would not want my children to get any sicker.
That is totally screwy that the school system does that to you.

My pet peeve is parents who send sick kids to school. It is the most selfish, inconsiderate thing to do. Not only is it unfair to all the kids who will be exposed to the germs, but it's just wrong to do to your own poor kid who is forced to go to school while feeling crummy.

I do get doctors notes to back my kids' absences up when it's needed but not every illness needs a doctor visit. If my child is sick and needs to stay home, they are staying home. Period. I don't let some school board threat stop me. My kids, my decision.

I guess you could say another pet peeve of mine is school districts that act like they own your kids. There is a huge difference between a parent who keeps a kid home for being sick, or for family matters, and a parent who is negligent. "Zero tolerance" and "one-size-fits-all" rules drive me crazy.

I wouldn't send my child to school with pneumonia. I just wouldn't want them to get sicker. If the absence was for an extended time I would request home tutoring, homeschool during that time, or work with the teachers to complete missed work at home. I had very bad pneumonia as a child. I was out for a very long time. I felt horrible. I had home tutoring. I would not want my children to get any sicker.
That is totally screwy that the school system does that to you.

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Hers was a very very slight pneumonia... she had IV antibiotics and then they sent her home with more. She was out for about a week plus two weekends but the cough just went on forever and with her heart condition there are some meds she has to say away from. (her chd was was very complex not a simple hole in the heart) Like I said it was just a very unproductive cough but I really couldn't keep her home for months.. I think she had it in mid April and the cough lasted until mid June Every few days I'd get a call to come get her, I'd just tell them no. The nurse down there doesn't like me 3 years later because of it